Kindness as the colors of the rainbow: 4 tips on how to teach your child to be kind

Kindness in our lives is like a rainbow after rain. It inspires us with hope for the best, gives a good mood and adds colorful emotions. Parents need to help their children learn to paint their lives and the lives of those around them.


Why be kind?

The basis of kindness is empathy. This is our innate ability to empathize with others, to feel their emotions as our own. But empathy is a feeling and kindness is a continuation of it, our words and actions. Being kind is important. In this way, we help people, enrich ourselves with positive energy, and add harmony to the world. Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.

4 Ways to teach your kids to show kindness

1. Educate yourself first. Then the child.

Children are more likely to copy the behavior of adults than to listen to their verbal advice. Therefore, first, it is important that we - adults - independently set an example for our child to be kind. Don't forget to be grateful to your children for their help, talk to them when they’re sad or hurt, care about them and others, help your relatives and strangers, use polite words like "please" and "sorry" etc.

2. Be kind to yourself.

To be kind to the world, it is important to be kind to yourself. You need to fill yourself with resources to be able to share them later. Tell the children about self-love - to support themselves as a close friend, not to criticize, respect, appreciate.

3. Explain that kindness is not easy.

It is often difficult to be kind. It can be challenging for children to share their favorite toy or give up a favorite cookie and treat a friend instead. Our task as adults is to say that kindness is really an effort. However, it makes us stronger.

4. Do kindness together.

It will be easier for your kid to learn to show kindness if you do it together. Choose simple ways that will make an exciting game for the child. I offer you several practical options:

  • Write a postcard to relatives. No reason, no occasion, but just to show your love and make a normal day a holiday for someone. Creative classes develop our imagination, help to express our emotions and feelings. Drawing a postcard could be an interesting and entertaining activity for children.

  • Make a bird feeder. It is important to show the child our unity with nature. We need to tell that we can do good deeds and help not only people. We can give nuts to squirrels in the park, plant a tree, or remove garbage from the roadside.

  • Show compassion. Supporting our neighbor in a difficult moment is what makes us Human. Together with kids, you can donate unnecessary clothes to the orphanage, feed the homeless, give water to street cats and dogs on a hot summer day.

Let your teaching of kindness to your little-ones be a joy to them. Teach that kindness is good not only for others, but also for those who do it. Good-hearted people feel deeper gratitude, smile more often, and feel vivid emotions. And let your life be full of rainbows.

With love, Elizabeth